Cyclamen: care of indoor and garden types, watering and summer rest

How to care for an indoor cyclamen so that it flowers every year, how to plant hardy garden cyclamens and what to do when it turns yellow.

In short: An indoor cyclamen flowers from September until spring if it stands in light at 12–16 °C and is watered from below into a saucer. In warmth above 20 °C it yellows and stops flowering. After flowering reduce watering, let it rest in summer and repot it in August. Garden cyclamens are hardy perennials for shade.

Latin name	Cyclamen, primrose family
Temperature indoors	12–16 °C, it suffers above 20 °C
Flowering	indoor September–April, garden depending on the species
Watering	into a saucer, pour off the excess after 20–30 min
Rest	May–August, almost dry, shade
Toxicity	tubers poisonous to people and animals

Most people buy a cyclamen in autumn or before Christmas and throw it away within a few weeks because it has turned yellow. The mistake is not in "watering" care but in warmth: the cyclamen is a plant of cool mountain forests and does not thrive in a living room by the radiator. In a cooler room it flowers for months and the tuber lasts for decades.

Two quite different groups of plants are sold under the name cyclamen, however: the large-flowered indoor cyclamen and small garden species that survive frost. This article describes both.

Indoor or garden: which cyclamens exist

Species	Flowers	Where	Frost
florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), indoor varieties	September–April	cool room, in autumn also outdoor window boxes	no, it suffers below 5 °C
ivy-leaved cyclamen (C. hederifolium)	August–October, leaves only after the flowers	shade under trees, rockery	yes
Coum cyclamen (C. coum)	February–March	partial shade, rockery, under shrubs	yes
purple cyclamen (C. purpurascens)	July–September, scented	shady chalky places	yes, it grows wild here

The purple cyclamen is our native species, protected by law here as endangered. Never dig it up from the wild; plants from propagation can be bought at a garden centre.

Care of an indoor cyclamen

Light and temperature

The cyclamen wants a lot of diffused light without direct midday sun: an east- or north-facing window, a cool bedroom, a glazed loggia, the space between double windows. The ideal is 12–16 °C by day and a few degrees less at night. At 20 °C and more the leaves turn yellow, the flowers fade quickly and new buds dry up. It must not stand above a radiator or in a direct stream of warm air.

Watering

The most common cause of death is water poured from above into the middle of the plant. The tuber and the bases of the leaf stalks then rot. So water from below:

When the compost is dry on the surface and the pot is light, pour water at room temperature that has been left to stand into a saucer.
Leave the plant to soak for 20–30 minutes.
Pour off the water that is left. A cyclamen must not stand permanently in water.

During flowering that is 1–2 times a week, depending on the temperature. Wilted leaves in the morning usually mean dryness, wilted leaves in wet compost mean rot.

Feeding and cleaning

During flowering feed every 2–3 weeks with a weaker dose of houseplant fertiliser. Do not cut off faded flowers and yellow leaves, but twist them out together with the stalk right down at the tuber. Remnants of stalks would rot on the tuber.

After flowering: rest, repotting and new flowering

If you want the cyclamen to flower the following year too, you must give it a summer rest.

March–April: after flowering gradually reduce watering and stop feeding. The leaves start to turn yellow, which is fine.
May–August: leave the tuber in its pot in shade and coolness, for example outdoors under a tree or in a cool room. Water just enough that the compost does not dry out completely. Some plants keep part of their leaves, which is also fine.
August: as soon as new small leaves appear, repot the tuber into fresh well-drained compost in a pot 2–3 cm wider. Plant an indoor cyclamen so that the top third of the tuber sticks out above the compost.
September: resume regular watering from below and feeding, and before the first frosts move the plant to a cool room. Buds will appear during the autumn.

You can mix about a fifth of perlite into the compost so that it drains water better. General advice on repotting is summarised in the article Repotting houseplants.

Garden cyclamens: planting tubers

Hardy cyclamens are small perennials 10–15 cm tall that gradually spread into carpets. They look best under deciduous trees and shrubs, where there is shade and dryness in summer and enough light in spring and autumn.

When: ivy-leaved cyclamen in summer to early autumn, Coum cyclamen in autumn or spring. Plants in pots establish most reliably; dry tubers from a bag shoot slowly.
How deep: place the tuber with the convex side down so that it is just under the surface, with about 2–3 cm of soil above it. Ivy-leaved cyclamen roots from the top of the tuber, so do not plant it deep.
Soil: well-drained, humus-rich, with leaf mould or compost. Heavy soil that is waterlogged in spring kills the tubers.
Care: in autumn mound a layer of leaves or compost over them, otherwise nothing. Do not dig around them, as the tubers are shallow.

You will find other plants that tolerate shade under trees in the article Which plants suit the shade.

Cyclamen from seed

Both indoor and garden cyclamens can be grown from seed, you just need patience. Soak the seeds for 12–24 hours in lukewarm water, sow in seed compost, cover with about 0.5 cm and keep in the dark at 15–18 °C. They germinate slowly and unevenly, usually over 4–8 weeks. An indoor cyclamen flowers roughly 12–15 months after sowing, garden species only after 2–3 years. Garden cyclamens self-seed in a suitable place, with the seeds spread by ants.

Why a cyclamen turns yellow and other problems

Symptom	Cause	Solution
leaves turn yellow, buds dry up	warmth above 20 °C, dry air	a cooler and brighter place
soft tuber, leaf stalks rot at the base	watering from above, standing water	water into a saucer, pour off the excess
grey mouldy coating on flowers	grey mould in damp, cold conditions without air	remove affected parts, do not water on the leaves, ventilate
twisted small leaves, deformed flowers	mites in a dry warm flat	isolate, lower the temperature, in need a mite treatment
only leaves, no flowers	no summer rest, or it is in warmth	keep the summer rest and cool conditions in autumn

How to handle houseplants in the heating season in general is described in the article How to care for houseplants in winter.

Is a cyclamen poisonous?

Yes. The whole plant, and especially the tuber, contains saponins. In dogs and cats it causes drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea, and after eating a larger piece of tuber heart rhythm disturbances and convulsions may occur. So do not put a cyclamen where animals and small children can reach, and do not leave tubers lying about when repotting. If you suspect poisoning, call a vet; for children, the Toxicology Information Centre (224 919 293 or 224 915 402).

The cyclamen is also among the traditional Christmas flowers, together with the poinsettia and the Christmas cactus. Their care is covered in the article Christmas flowers will decorate your home.

Frequently asked questions

How do I water a cyclamen?

From below into a saucer. Pour in water, leave it to soak in for 20–30 minutes and pour off the rest. Never pour onto the tuber or into the middle of the plant, as the tuber would rot.

Why is my cyclamen turning yellow?

Most often it is too warm; above 20 °C the leaves turn yellow and the buds dry up. The second cause is overwatering. In spring after flowering yellowing is natural, as the plant is preparing for its summer rest.

What do I do with a cyclamen after flowering?

Gradually reduce watering, stop feeding and let it rest over summer in shade in almost dry compost. In August, when new leaves shoot, repot it and start watering again.

Can a cyclamen go outside?

An indoor cyclamen tolerates an outdoor window box in autumn until temperatures fall to freezing; it does not survive frost. Garden species such as ivy-leaved or Coum cyclamen are hardy perennials and stay in the bed all year.

How deep should I plant cyclamen tubers?

An indoor cyclamen so that the top third of the tuber is above the compost. Garden species just under the surface, with about 2–3 cm of soil above the tuber.

Is a cyclamen poisonous to cats?

Yes, mainly the tuber. It causes drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea, and a large amount even serious poisoning. Keep it out of reach of cats.

Sources

Updated: 27 September 2026

Author: Jana Vránová, the editorial name of the Pěstík.cz team. She writes about the garden, herbs and essential oils. We take safety and dosage data from specialist literature and official sources, which we cite in every article.